Lewis Creek Brownie 2.0

Watch your fingers

Funny thing about this beer is that it was no where on my to-brew list.  Eventually, yes, but not right now, today.  I did have big plans to brew another Imperial Stout, like I did at last year's Summer Solstice... but I decided that brewing a smaller beer will provide an ample amount of yeast for the gimundo 1.120 SG of the Imperial Stout.  So... I happened to have just about everything I needed to make my Lewis Creek Brownie, like I did last fall.  Perfect.  The only thing I did not have on hand was Aromatic malt... so, I'm opting to use Gambrinus Honey Malt in place of it... mostly based off of color and it will provide some additional aromatics.  I also will be switching up some of the hops since I really didn't like the Columbus I used last time.  So here it goes...

BATCH #46
8# 2 Row Pale Malt
1# Weyerman Smoked Malt
1# Best Malz Smoked Malt
1# Crystal 60L
1# Golden Naked Oats
1# Honey Malt
.25# Choc Malt

BREWNIGHT 6/20 (Summer Soltice):
Hot as hell today - 95F
Single infusion mash - 154F for 60 minutes.
16qts water @ 167F, doughed in - temp @ 153F.  pH around 5.3 (my pH meter sucks and likes to jump around).
After 30 minutes, stirred and temp still at 153F
After 60 minutes, mash out with 10qts boiling water, brought temp up to 164F... not perfect but fine.
Started sparging @ 170F, added .75oz Willamette first wort hops
Fired up burner when I had 3-4 gallons collected
Pre-boil gravity - 11.4 BRIX/1.046
Boil started... 2 hours and ten minutes after dough in... yesssss.  Added another .75 oz Willamette
One hour into boil, added whirlfloc and wort chiller.
One hour 15 mintues, flame out, added 1 oz Willamette and started chilling.
An hour after that and my temp was down to 72F.  Pitched a bag of ice in the bucket with the pump to get it to drop the remaining 5 degrees or so.  Aiming for about 64/65.  Temps in teh basement right now are 70, and 75 upstairs, so I need to start it low and probably submerge in a cooler with ice in it to keep it low.

6/24 GRAVITY CHECK:  68F, 1.014, turbid, smokey, might have gotten a little warm during fermentation.  Thinking about splitting it into two 3 gallon carboys and dry hopping one of them.  Or maybe I should just dry hop the whole thing.  Can't decide.  Still planning on using the base of this with the upcoming Imperial Stout.  Really still hoping to brew this before the baby comes... which means, tonight (6/25)!

6/28 - Still waiting on the baby, so haven't brewed the Impy Stout yet... more later...